The analog bus rack is in full working order and delivering proven results! I’ve been procuring and assembling the bulk of this rig for the last 30 days or so. My standard bus paths travel out of the mixer/interface and into the Heritage MCM8 summing, then into Burl B2 for conversion. From left to right: the Bc501 is for Drums, Rhea for Instruments, Xpressor for Vocals (the path has the Electra EQs in front), the Sub/LFE go to 2 SixCh, the dry bus travels through the Aux IN for the parallel. I monitor the analog performance with a TC Electronics Clarity M meter that helps me double check balance and correlation. This is the versatility for any live or studio gig I have been looking for. Comment your favorite outboard flavors!

It’s been a while since the days of the dirty van tours & low rent clubs of my youth, but there will always be a venue that “bootstraps”. Last night, the local band I work for played a ticketed gig, but, today I’m in my church gig. The Saturday night venue is open air, smoking, and there is a layer of dirt on everything. The church hires professionals to clean and has reliable gear. What I realize this morning is that an untidy workspace creates mental friction and speed bumps little by little, and suddenly you are 7 hours in without a break, covered in sweat and dirt, rather than enjoying the entertainment you have worked hard to deliver. I knew very well the Saturday location includes questionable tech and power, or in other words, an uphill battle. I should have hired an A2 and allocated some responsibility manning the ship. Had I done so, I may have had more time to control the atmosphere, participate in the fellowship, and raise the bar for the venue to my standards as an A1. The difference in a clean production and a dirty one really comes down to teamwork and leadership. Everyone needs to do what they are called to do and needs someone to call them. If you, I, or the bootstrapping club owner individually put everything on our backs, then we will waste our collective potential, and the time to enjoy our fruits will pass too quickly.

Every mix starts at the source. Join me on stage for a quick look at the mic choices and racks powering this show. The series is complete. > We’ve covered the console, the snapshots, and the tuning. Now, we’re looking at the stage setup that makes it all possible. This is a brief look at the physical I/O and monitor layout for this theater run. What’s inside: - Our mic selection for this production. - Monitor placement for the performers. - The I/O racks powering the Soundcraft Vi3000. 💬 FINAL TASK: What was the most helpful part of this 4-part series? Comment below to earn your final "Level Up" points for the week!

Is Smaart lying to you? See how I fix measurement discrepancies and mic time-of-arrival errors for a theater. Precision is the foundation of a great mix. > In today’s video, I’m showing you a real-world troubleshooting moment. I realized my RTA mic distance wasn't lining up with the time of arrival, and I’m taking you through the "refresh" process to fix it. See how I route for smaart with the Soundcraft Vi3000 using Dante Controller and without an additional interface. Also, see why I have a laser tape measuring tool with me at all times. 💬 LEVEL UP: Have you ever had a measurement tool give you a "weird" reading? How did you fix it? Comment below to earn points and help the community learn!

Stop losing your best work. I’m showing how I use snapshots for backup and a complete change history of my showfile. Your showfile is a living document. > In Part 2 of the A1 Walkthrough, we’re looking at Snapshots—but not for automation. I’m showing you how I use them to document the progress and evolution of my settings across a residency or tour. Inside this video: - The Change History: How I use snapshots to "save-point" my mix progress. - The Safety Net: Creating a rock-solid backup of real-world console settings. - Evolution Tracking: Seeing how the mix grew from Soundcheck to Show 8. 💬 LEVEL UP: How often do you save a "new" version of your showfile? Comment below to earn points and help others build better backup habits!